April empties - Origins, L'Occitane, Saaf, Korres, The Bath House, The Body Shop

Body Shop massage oil – I wanted to like this, but I was disappointed. It sounded promising and exotic, but it smells too much of ginger. It might as well be called Ginger massage oil. I would not repurchase as there are other oils in the range.

Saaf face oil serum – love a facial oil. My face is dry and needs hydrating throughout the year. Have already repurchased. I’m very interested in this range of products. 

L’Occitane Jasmine and Green Tea soap 100g – love this and I’ve already repurchased, it looks like it’s discontinued but it sometimes crops up during sales so I stock up whenever I see it.

Origins Night-A-Mins 30ml sample – I've been using silicone-free products lately so this feels way too silicone-y for me and I didn’t really notice much difference after regular use either. I wouldn't repurchase. 

L’Occitane Verbena shower gel 500ml – this massive body wash came as part of a gift set of Verbena products from L’Occitane. I love the authentic fresh fragrance of this body wash, but don’t love the drying sulfates, would repurchase only if L’Occitane ever decide to reformulate to remove the SLES.

L’Occitane Mango flower hand cream 30ml – this is one of the really thick formulations that I prefer to use in cooler weather (the summer ones have more of a gel consistency). I’m not crazy about the fragrance. I have other hand creams in the stash.

Korres Guava Lip Butter – I really like this. I don’t wear this during the day as this guava one turns your lips white, but I use it each night as an overnight treatment. I used to wake up with parched lips each morning and the first thing I’d reach for would be a lip balm, but this works at keeping the lips hydrated. I’m not keen on the ingredients though, looks like there’s nothing but a bunch of plastic in there. I have the Pomegranate one to try next.

Pretty Perfect Orange Blossom shower gel – a sulfate-free body wash bought on clearance from TKMaxx. Great scent, quite unisex with sandalwood. Would repurchase, but I believe this is discontinued. The Bath House offer several other fragrances.

Korres Guava Lip Butter review

Korres Guava Lip Butter 6g jar – I really like this. I don’t wear this during the day as this guava one leaves your lips with a pale white cast, but I use it each night as an overnight treatment. I used to wake up with parched lips each morning and the first thing I’d reach for would be a lip balm, but this works at keeping the lips hydrated. I’m not keen on the ingredients though, looks like there’s nothing but a bunch of plastic in there! I’ve already repurchased though as it’s worked better than any others I’ve tried so far. Once this is finished, I have another Korres lip butter in Pomegranate lip and also some Body Shop lip butters to try.

 Here's a list of the ingredients:

Polybutene, Trimethylolpropane Triisostearate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Hydroxystearic Acid, Polyethylene, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate, Tocopherol, Dicalcium Phosphate, Aroma (Flavor), Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Oryza Sativa Cera (Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax), Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Extract, Limonene, Citral, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide). 

January empties - Neal's Yard Remedies, Naked Bodycare, Korres, 4711 and Unique Nature

Unique organic shampoo and conditioner from the TK Maxx clearance shelf. Herbal scent, easy to rinse out the conditioner. Good for someone who wants all organic, all natural hair products. Would repurchase if I see them again.

The Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose beauty balm is expensive at £37 for 50g but this is one of Neal's Yard's star products, often spoken about in magazines and beauty blogs. This is an oil based cleanser which can be used in multiple ways, as a facial cleanser, as a body balm on elbows or feet etc, left on as a mask, or my favourite which is as a pre-shave massage treatment. I thought I’d never get through the tub within the recommended three months, but I used it in as many ways as Neal's Yard suggests and just about managed to get there. Would repurchase, but pricey! Recommended.

Neal's Yard Remedies Aromatic Foaming Soak – I wasn’t a fan of this, the scent of pelargonium often overpowers other scents for me and this bath oil was no exception. I wouldn’t repurchase.

Soft Touch Naked Bodycare Starflower body wash 250ml - one of my favourite body washes, already repurchased. Recommended.

4711 50ml – the only way I could love this any more is if it lasted more than twenty minutes on my skin. It’s inexpensive sure, but having to reapply throughout the day means you get through a bottle quickly. I splash it on my hair and around the neck of my t-shirt to help the fragrance last. I used to only wear this in the summer, but this year I’ve been using it in the cooler weather too and it’s equally as gorgeous. Definite repurchase.

Korres yoghurt face cream 50ml – I suppose it shouldn’t have bought this as it’s intended for oily or combination skin, but I thought it might make a suitably light day cream. It was only alright though. My dry husk of a face requires more hydration than this can deliver, but this could be ideal for an oilier complexion. One bonus was that this light cream leaves a natural looking matt finish. I wouldn’t repurchase, but simply because of my skin type.

Korres Yoghurt Moisturising Cream review

Korres's Yoghurt Moisturing Cream comes in a 50ml glass jar. I suppose it shouldn’t have bought this as it’s intended for oily or combination skin, but I'd read about it and wanted to try. It was only alright. My dry husk of a face requires more hydration than this can deliver, particularly in winter, but this could be ideal for an oilier complexion. One bonus was that this light cream leaves a natural looking matt finish. I wouldn’t repurchase, but simply because of my skin type.

"Greek yogurt is an ancient healing remedy that goes back hundreds of years. In Greece, yogurt is known for its ability to instantly soothe the skin by delivering increased moisture.

The Greek Yoghurt Moisturizing Face Cream contains full-fat, greek yogurt—a natural source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals to nourish and provide instant hydration to dry skin. It also contains vitamin E, olive oil concentrate, and macadamia nuts for antioxidant protection. This nourishing cream can be used every day as a part of your daily skin routine. "

Here are the ingredients:
Water, Yogurt, Butylene Glycol, Steareth-2, Isononyl Isononanoate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil Unsaponifiables, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Steareth-20, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Starch, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Triethylhexanoin, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Amorphophallus Konjak Root Extract, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde,  midazolidinyl Urea, Linalool, Magnesium PCA, Manganese PCA, Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium PCA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Xylitol, Zinc PCA.